Having grown up in the days when telephones were attached to the wall and there was only one per household, I remember my parents objecting when I tried to call friends during the “dinner hour” or anytime after 9 p.m.
Business calls were limited to regular business hours.
Folks removed their hats when they went indoors.
Anyone wearing pajamas in the grocery store was under the age of 2.
Only immature children resorted to name-calling and bullying in disagreements.
How things have changed, and not for the better.
The convenience of modern life and technology has made it easy to let go of the courtesies that once provided a societal cushion. Work was work, home was home, manners were manners. Now those lines are blurred and boundaries have disappeared. Work texts and emails follow us everywhere we go; we’re always expected to be “on duty.” Things like not wearing slippers out of the house to sending work texts in the wee hours or being hateful online have relaxed to the point there are no more boundaries.
Any therapist or counselor will explain the importance of boundaries when it comes to maintaining healthy relationships and self-care. A lack of boundaries, in any area, eventually results in excess or abuse, or both. As a society we’re seeing that on multiple levels. Perhaps it’s time we revisit those old-fashioned “rules” that existed before smartphones and the internet and 24/7 access to anyone on the planet. Just a thought.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
